The quick verdict
BoldDesk fits teams whose headcount matches the agents in their credit tier, or who want Facebook and Instagram in the same inbox. Helply fits teams that would outgrow a tier's agent count, at a lower price per credit.
- Helply: unlimited users on plans from $49 a month, with AI work billed in credits.
- BoldDesk: from $49 a month billed yearly for 500 credits and 2 agents; extra agents are $20 each a month.
- Helply's 7,000-credit block is $339 a month billed annually; BoldDesk's 7,000-credit tier is $599 billed yearly.
- Helply is the best BoldDesk alternative for teams that expect to grow past the agents bundled in their tier.
Helply vs. BoldDesk at a glance
Both price AI by the work it does, weighted by complexity. They differ on how many people each plan includes and what each credit costs.
| Capability | Helply | BoldDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Core platform | AI-native customer support platform | Help desk with AI agents, backed by Syncfusion |
| Built for | Support teams of any size, B2B or B2C | SaaS, ecommerce, education, healthcare and other industries |
| AI approach | Support, Assist and Background Agents | Support, Assist and Background Agents |
| Background agents | Churn, Revenue, Knowledge, Feature Request and Insights Agents, plus build your own | Background Agent, built in the Agent Builder |
| AI economics | Per action: 1 for a draft, 4 for a lookup, 12 for an investigation | 1–2 credits for simple tasks, 3–5 for one system, 8–12 for multi-step work |
| Pricing | Unlimited users, AI billed in credits | One plan priced by credit tier, from $49 a month billed yearly |
| Human agents | Unlimited users on every plan | 2 to 250 by tier; extra agents $20 each a month |
| Unused credits | Carry into the next month; annual plans pool across the year | Reset each billing month; pooling on custom plans above 50,000 credits |
Same credit model, different limits
Bring in the whole company, not just your tier
BoldDesk includes 5 agents at 1,000 credits and 30 at 7,000, then charges $20 for each extra agent. Helply has unlimited users on every plan, so product, success and engineering join without a seat decision.
Five Background Agents on day one
Helply ships Churn, Revenue, Knowledge, Feature Request and Insights Agents that read every conversation without being asked. You can also build your own for any job your team repeats.
A lower price per credit
Helply's 7,000-credit block is $339 a month billed annually, against $599 billed yearly for BoldDesk's 7,000-credit tier. Unused Helply credits carry into the next month instead of resetting.
The economics
| Capability | Helply | BoldDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | 7,000-credit block | 7,000-credit tier |
| Price per month, billed annually | $339 | $599 |
| Price per month, billed monthly | $399 | $705 |
| People included | Unlimited users | 30 human agents |
| Extra people | Included in the plan price | $20 per agent a month |
| AI agent | Included on every plan. Work billed in credits: 1 for a draft, 4 for a lookup, 12 for a full investigation. | Included. 1–2, 3–5 or 8–12 credits per task by complexity |
| When the AI bills | Per AI action, by complexity. Never for retries, failed actions, or drafts your team rejects. | Per AI task, by complexity. Handoffs to a human with no AI answer are free. |
| Team assistant add-on | Assist Agent included on every plan. | Assist Agent included |
An illustration: a 25-person team needs about 7,000 credits a month on either platform. On BoldDesk that is $599 a month billed yearly, with 30 agents included and $20 for each extra. On Helply it is $339 a month billed annually, with unlimited users.
Helply never charges per user. Plans start at $49 a month with unlimited users, and AI work is billed in credits weighted by complexity, so your bill grows with the work the AI does rather than with your headcount.
Users
Unlimited
On every plan
Plans
$49
From, per month
Trial
14 days
1,000 credits, no card
Teams that switched
“Helply closes about two-thirds of our tickets on its own, lookups and all, and it flags marketplace problems before customers even write in. It gave us a whole person back, and my whole team can finally see what’s going on for less than the old per-seat tool cost.”
David Blacker, Co-founder & CEO · AirGigs
Results
- 68% of conversations resolved end-to-end, with account/order/payment lookups automated
- Assist Agent freed one full-time rep for marketplace operations
- Insights Agent surfaces payout and delivery issues early
Switching from BoldDesk
Run Helply alongside BoldDesk on part of your queue, compare the results, then move the rest. There is no forced cutover.
- Start a 14-day free trial with 1,000 credits and no card, and run Helply alongside BoldDesk on a slice of your queue.
- Bring your knowledge, customer context and integrations across.
- Cut over once AI resolution rates and workflows are where you want them.
Here is what comes with you:
- Knowledge base and saved replies
- Customer and company records
- Channels and integrations
Which should you choose?
Choose BoldDesk if:
- You want Facebook and Instagram in the same inbox, or a migration with free use until your current contract ends.
- Your support headcount fits the agents bundled in your credit tier.
Choose Helply if:
- You want product, success and engineering in customer conversations without counting agents.
- You want a lower price per credit, with unused credits carried into the next month.
Frequently asked questions
Helply, for teams that want credit-based AI pricing without paying per extra agent. It has unlimited users from $49 a month and five Background Agents.
At 500 and 7,000 credits, yes. Billed yearly, Helply costs $42 and $339 a month; BoldDesk costs $49 and $599.
BoldDesk starts at $49 a month billed yearly for 500 credits and 2 agents. Extra agents are $20 each a month.
Helply starts at $49 a month for 500 credits, with unlimited users. A draft uses 1 credit, a lookup 4, an investigation 12.
Helply credits carry into the next month, then expire; annual plans pool them across the year. BoldDesk credits reset each month on standard tiers.
Yes. Helply includes the inbox, ticketing, chat, help center, workflows and reporting, with AI agents built in.
Yes. Start a 14-day trial on part of your queue, compare resolution quality, then move the rest of your support across.
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